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the iranian hostage crisis isn't something that americans talk about much. it lasted a long time and strained relations between the u.s. and iran. >> the oscar-nominated movie "argo" has put a spotlight back on that crisis and on the secretive nation, as well. abc's david muir was invited to take a look inside iran. >> we have just landed. >> reporter: we landed in iran in a country where american journalists are rarely allowed to visit. and rarer still, we were given

access to the people, the streets of tehran. above ground, a bustling city of 12 million. [ horn honking ] below ground, we discover a gleaming subway system, far quieter and cleaner than the subways of new york city. and there was something else very different. this says women only here. the back of the train reserved for women. beyond the trains, the traffic, everywhere you look there's something else on the move, the prices. skyrocketing inflation. their currency losing 80% of its value in just the last year. u.s.-led sanctions tying an economic noose around iran. >> i think it hurts the people. >> reporter: the iranian people. >> plus, i think, the normal people. >> reporter: the relationship between the u.s. and iran never recovered after those 444 days. americans held hostage as the world watched. right here in the heart of downtown tehran, what used to be the u.s. embassy of course, the infamous backdrop to the hostage crisis that began unfolding in

'79, you can see the gates are still here, still closed decades later. and behind us here what used to be the seal. you can still faintly make out "united states of america" here. still today, the walls here painted with anti-american murals, the guard stations empty. many here hoping for an end to the sanctions and to the nuclear standoff. david muir, abc news, tehran. >> and we've been talk something much about the nuclear threat posed by iran. but there is some reluctance by the administration to send troops in there, hoping economic sanction also cripple the economy enough and that perhaps is what will cause iran to cave and get back to the table and maybe pave the way for progress here. >> but there is disheartening news out of tehran. there's high-tech machines that have been installed in their nuclear site that can accelerate the production of warheads. that's happening now. so there are talks coming up at the end of february.

hopefully, we can come to some kind of resolution. the next thing that might happen there are some air strikes. >> a big question mark. >> we don't want that. coming up next, oscars by the numbers. >> the 85th academy awards in just three days. what's your guess on the oldest nominee, the youngest, the tallest, the shortest? all that coming up next. >> announcer: "world news now"

the academy awards could draw a record audience sunday night, especially with seth macfarlane as host. >> if it does, it would go into the record books for sure. abc's bill weir takes a look at the oscars by the numbers. >> it's been 84 years. >> reporter: close, gloria stewart. the oscars' oldest nominee. but this is the 85th year of the oscars.

by the end of the night sunday, one of these nine films will be named the 85th best picture. maybe. because in 2002, "a beautiful mind" wasn't handed its oscar until almost 1:00 a.m. eastern the following morning. 4:23 after the show began. but if you think that's long, in 1968, the academy awarded its best foreign language oscar to "war and peace," the novel 1440 pages, turned film ran nearly seven hours long. you could see the shortest best picture "marty" almost five times in that stretch. speaking of short, sunday's pint-sized nominee, quvenzhane wallis was around three foot all the when she shot "beasts of the southern wild." on the flip side, two-time winner daniel day lewis stands 6'2", playing the slightly taller 16th president. the tallest best actor winner? the duke, john wayne, just over 6'4".

not counting the hat. this year, "lincoln" leads the pack with 12 nods, two shy of "titanic," the most nominated picture wins best picture only 67% of the time and no actor has ever won for playing a president. how do you get the edge? being part of hollywood's first family doesn't hurt. no, not that one. this one, the coppolas. with roman's nod for cowriting "mo "moonrise kingdom," six members of the family have received 24 nominations, 8 wins. so how will the numbers finally stack up? will emmanuelle reeve have a win? or quvenzhane wallis, her first? will denzel win his second, spielberg his third? or john williams his sixth? for that, you need to know these numbers. 85, 7 and 4. the 85th annual academy awards airs sunday, 7:00 in the east,

4:00 in the west only on abc. >> well done, mr. weir. >> here's a couple of other facts about the little trivia for you. the first and only silent film to win best picture, "wings." >> well done. the more you know. "wings." >> well done. the more you know. [ male announcer ] zzzquil™ sleep-aid. [ snoring ] [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] it's not for colds. it's not for pain. it's just for sleep. [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] because sleep is a beautiful thing™. [ birds chirping ] zzzquil™. the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil®. ♪

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from the rim down to the water line to kill 99.9% of germs. and removes stains better than clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. so if you want to do the whole job, lysol's got you covered. lysol. mission for health. and for an incredibly clean and fresh bowl with every flush, try the no mess automatic toilet bowl cleaner. this first story in "the mix" comes from the cool tech world file. i like this a lot. there's a kickstarter page where people can donate money to a project to help get it off the ground. so on kickstarter, you can find this project called three doodler. the video is pretty cool. it tapes plastic strips on to a drawing surface. so what you do with that pen, it becomes this three dimensional figure there.

so they've raised almost $400,000 for this. the goal was $30,000. so obviously it's doing very well. but it takes your artistic creations off the paper. if you go to the site kickstarter and donate $35, you get the pen and two bags of that plastic stuff that makes the art come off the page. >> like silly string. i like it. >> technology, could be kind of cool. here's something everybody knows. there's now some science behind it. women talk more than men. >> true dat. >> we talk so much more than men, apparently, we speak 20,000 words more than -- or 13,000 words more than you. we speak 20,000, you speak 7,000. >> in a day? >> in a day. this is because we have a higher protein. called fox p-2 protein. a team at the university of maryland found that male rats were chatty.

>> rats? come on. just eat the cheese and shut up. >> so female mice were chatty, but the good news here is girls speak quicker than boys do. developmentally. so, ha! >> there we go. here's news for all you new yorkers out there. apparently, in this consumer culture we have in new york, a brand new thing is coming where they're going to have these vending machines in the cabs, so you can swipe your card in the cab and pay. >> i want to see this. >> now you can swipe your card in a vending machine that will sell everything from cologne to condoms in fact in the back of cabs. >> finally. >> they're making a debut in random locations in new york, coming to a cab sometime soon. >> how many times have you been in a cab -- >> very interesting. that's all we need in new york cabs, more blowing. a mom in new york threw her >> oh, okay.

a mom in new york threw her 16-year-old son a birthday party, now she's facing endangering a child welfare charges because she hired strippers. >> really? >> she hired strippers. facebook is how everybody found out. facebook is how everybody found out. >> happy birthwell, well, well.

growing up, we didn't have u-verse. we couldn't record four shows at the same time. in my day, you were lucky if you could record two shows. and if mom was recording her dumb show and dad was recording his dumb show

then, by george, that's all we watched. and we liked it! today's kids got it so good. [ male announcer ] get u-verse tv for just $19 a month for 1 year when you bundle tv and internet. rethink possible. this morning on "world news now" -- case unraveling. the latest roadblocks for prosecutors in the oscar pistorius murder case. >> as a bombshell development involving a lead investigator surfaces on a key day of testimony. it's thursday, february 21st. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning. i'm diana perez. >> happy friday eve, everybody. i'm rob nelson. we'll get to the fast-moving developments in the murder case from south africa coming up in just a second, particularly that new info about the lead investigator.

>> something you wouldn't expect. >> that could taint the whole thing. an interesting tidbit coming out of there. plus this morning, warnings to pentagon workers about pay cuts and potential layoffs if congress fails to act on a looming budget deadline. the impact of this one could be pretty far reaching. a new reason to study your credit card statements carefully. the sneaky hidden fees that could be costing you and how to avoid falling victim to them in the first place. >> that's a good way to get angry. look at your cell phone bill, your credit card bill, all those little things they tack on, you've got to call them out sometimes. >> if you call them and say what's this? sometimes they'll say, oops. >> oh, i'm sorry. how did that get on there? let me take that off. >> you've been paying $3 for four years? but we're not going to give your money back. >> we'll take care of it next month. so important advice coming up in that piece. and later this half hour, he's among the most eligible bachelors on the planet. now it looks like prince harry has a new squeeze.

hopefully not that snake. find out who she is coming up in "the skinny." he gets around though, man. plins harry doesn't say -- >> i've sate it before, and i'll say it again, i want to party with him. >> he's not lonely often, if ever. >> ever. but first to this. olympian oscar pistorius could learn as soon as today if he'll await the trial for murder of his girlfriend in jail or on bail. >> pistorius arrived under cover at the courthouse this morning. he's there for closing arguments in his bail hearing. that hearing had all of the trappings, though, of a full-blown trial. abc's bazi kanani has the details. >> reporter: stoic, oscar pistorius back in court as prosecutors argued he was too much a flight risk to grant bail, showing blueprints and explaining what happened the night he shot his girlfriend, model reeva steenkamp. pistorius said they were both sleeping when he woke, heard a noise, grabbed his gun from under the bed and rushed into the bathroom. but prosecutors say pistorius would have had to cross the bed

to get to the bathroom and should have noticed steenkamp was not in it. and they say this is key. they intend to use ballistics to show he was already wearing his prosthetic legs when firing his gun, hoping to disprove his testimony that he woke up in the middle of the night and rushed to confront an intruder without taking the time to put on his prosthetics. >> here the prosecution has a critical piece of evidence that could determine whether his story was accurate or not. >> reporter: but, in a series of missteps, prosecutors revealed the witness who claimed to hear yaling was up to six football fields away, and backtracked from claims they found needles and testosterone in the house, saying test results aren't back yet. >> oscar will survive. he will have a tough time going forward, but he's a survivor. >> reporter: bazi kanani, abc news, pretoria, south africa.

>> and by the way, the lead investigator of this whole thing, his name is hilton botha, he's set to appear in court in may for seven counts of attempted murder. >> wow. >> so talk about tainting this entire thing, which is what you said. apparently him and two other police officers fired shots while trying to stop a minivan, and killed everybody apparently in the minivan. so now -- >> or tried to at least. i mean that's -- that's -- how can his background and his brush with the law to say the least, not -- how does that not damage his credibility as the lead investigator into another murder? i don't understand that at all. >> how is he still investigating anything? >> that piece was interesting, we talked about this yesterday. how did pistorius get out of his bed and not know his girlfriend was there? he had to roll over that bed. he would have then noticed, wait a minute. where's my girl? so it seems like this case on both sides has some shaky ground to deal with right now. >> this case is getting a lot of attention. there was one reporter from

another news agency who fainted in the crush of reporters trying to get into the courthouse yesterday. >> wow. >> it's getting a lot of attention, worldwide attention. >> apparently a small courtroom, too. they're packed in there. >> that's for sure. now we're going to turn to mr. lance armstrong. he's missed a deadline to testify to u.s. anti-doping agents and possibly have his lifetime ban from sports reduced. in a tersely worded statement, armstrong's attorney said the disgraced cycling champ is refusing to testify. the attorney says the process is destined to demonize selected individuals. he will testify before an international tribunal, but no such tribunal each exists. former police sergeant drew peterson finds out today if he will get a new trial. peterson was convicted last fall in the murder of his third wife. he's also accused of killing wife number four. she disappeared in 2007. he claims his former attorney was incompetent and kept him from getting a fair trial. if the judge denies the retrial, peterson will be sentenced.

he faces up to 60 years in prison. five people are dead this morning after a small jet crashed in georgia. the plane was trying to land last night when it ran off of the runway. it crashed in the woods about 30 miles west of augusta. there were seven people on board flying in from nashville. one of the two survivors is believed to be a pilot. now a major milestone for the u.s. military in afghanistan. for the first time since 2007, more than 30 days has passed with no american military deaths in afghanistan. the pentagon says there are fewer enemy attacks and the afghan-led security operations are finally taking over. federal workers, including those at the pentagon, are being warned about losing part of their paychecks if those automatic spending cuts take effect march 1st. defense secretary leon panetta says he may have to shorten the workweek for 800,000 civilians. they would lose a day of work per week or 20% of their pay for

up to 22 weeks, probably starting in late april. the pentagon budget chief says the effect also be felt across the country. >> frankly, this is one of the least -- or the most distasteful tasks i have faced in my four years in this job. >> the associated furloughs will impact our war fighters, our veterans, and our family members in untold ways. >> adding his voice to the budget debate, secretary of state john kerry, who says the fiscal impasse is a serious threat to american credibility around the world. investigators uncovered the body of a woman killed in a huge explosion in downtown kansas city. and there are fears that at least one more body may be buried in the debris after a gas leak sparked a blast and fire in a popular dining and shopping district. the explosion went off tuesday night after a construction crew struck a natural gas line. winter storm warnings from albuquerque to chicago. kansas is in the storm's bull's-eye with heavy snow,

whiteout conditions, and some freezing rain on top of all of that. at least one fatality is being blamed on the storm so far. hundreds of flights have been canceled ahead of the system. here's a hazard that most golfers don't often face, snow. the first round of the match play championship was suspended after a winter storm hit arizona of all places. the 64 best golfers in the world will try again later today. a whitened golf course. you rarely see that in arizona. really? >> wow, no thank you. as this snowstorm moves east, schools, businesses and airports are shooting down. >> meteorologist jim dickey has more now from accuweather. good morning to you, jim. >> good morning rob and diana. a snow-filled day on tap across kansas here. snow has already started and our system is back into portions of the four corners here. so you see this swirl, marks the powerful upper level system that is supporting all this. that's going to drift eastward as we head through the early morning hours. that snow will only intensify here.

whiteout conditions expected through much of the day. and on the southern flank, expecting strong to severe thunderstorms in texas into the lower mississippi valley through the afternoon into the evening. as far as the snow is concerned, heaviest hit areas will be in central kansas. 12 to 24 inches along i-70 just to the north and west of wichita. this while storms bring damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes through the day. rob and diana, back to you. >> thanks, jim. let's hope our buddy jim there doesn't try this while doing a forecast any time soon. >> a meteorologist in australia thought it would be a good idea to do his report as a passenger in a stunt plane. well, he was having trouble keeping it together when the pilot really cranked it up, hitting eight gs. it was just way too much for that fellow. >> he passed out and then the cameras stopped working afterwards. oh. the guy said his body just started feeling all warm and cozy while he was out.

did you see one eye open and one eye closed? >> you've got to pay the price trying to do cute, inventful tv. sometimes it backfires. >> there he goes again. >> hold on, buddy. hold on. >> there are a lot of things i wouldn't do for my job. getting in a fighter jet and going back and forth upside down, loopty-loops? no, thank you. that's where i draw the line. look at him. >> and his supportive co-anchor is laughing. >> how do you keep it together? >> he's okay, he's okay. >> yeah, he's okay. but how do you -- poor guy. >> he's okay. >> lucky he didn't blow his cookies. >> we would not be showing you that. well, it is "world news now." never mind. coming up, credit card scams that could cost you. how you can avoid being a victim. and turning cups of coffee into works of art? the best baristas around compete for a caffeinated title. you're watching "world news now."

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♪ and the man came by and said yes, sir, cash or charge ♪ ♪ i said, put it on the credit card ♪ ♪ write that dude up, oh, convenient ♪ and do the do-si-do.

this morning, a consumer alert about a rip-off that has probably cost you a little money without you knowing it. >> it's called cramming. small charges sneak onto your phone or credit card bill by people who hope you just don't notice. abc's cecilia vega has more. >> reporter: it hits consumers straight in the wallet. a $30 charge here, $40 there. buried so deep in your credit card bills, you might never even notice. tens of thousands of americans were hit with what the ftc calls fake fees, charged to your bill by vague financial services like debt to wealth, draining more than $24 million in all. >> it's smart to steal a little at a time, because you're hoping consumers just don't spot it. >> reporter: many of the consumers recently applied for a payday loan or cash advance when they spotted the charge on the bill and called the toll-free number next to it to complain, they entered an infuriating maze

of call centers around the globe. it's called cramming. the ftc says 20 million people a year fall victim to it. until now, most of the charges were buried in phone bills. that's exactly what happened to susan epley from georgia. >> i think $9.99 was the lowest charge and $49.99 was the largest charge. >> reporter: the best advice? inspect your bills line by line. and if there is a bogus charge, dispute it right away with your credit card company. cecilia vega, abc news, los angeles. >> so many people get into the bad habit where you just automatically pay the bill right away. you call and pay over the phone or do it online. check that printed paper bill and look at that itemized list what they're charging you. you would be surprised what you may find. >> that's what they're counting on. they're counting on the fact that you're not paying attention. they make it so easy. and sometimes you don't even have to open the bill anymore, because it's automatic. if you're not paying attention, they're little by little skimming it off the top like in "office space." penny by penny. >> you see those advertisements for the paperless bills.

or automatic payments. don't trust. look at your bill, folks. >> every single time. coming up, an earth- shattering decision by a member of the kardashian family. >> we are crushed. and what seth mcfarlane is so worried about before the oscars. all that coming up next in "the skinny."

♪ skinny, so skinny

♪ skinny so skinny ♪ skinny in the house! >> whoa, whoa. >> that was violent. loud and violent. >> whoa, welcome back to tarzan, everyone. >> well, skinny is in his house. so we're starting with harry. once again prince harry is in the news. this time because he and society model cressida were apparently snapped kissing like teenagers. they've been dating, they've gotten cozy, and we've seen him in all of his glory in those vegas pictures. new pictures now of him and her kissing apparently this happened in a restaurant where diners were looking on. they couldn't believe it. she was sitting on his lap and they were sucking face in front of everybody. there he is once again. he's been very verbal about the fact that he's not a fan of

paparazzi and the media talking about him when he does some really good stuff, too. like he fights in wars and gives to charity and all they talk about is when he sucks face with girls. >> harry does it all. that man does not have a boring life, we all know that. so hopefully that relationship lasts for the next ten minutes. it will be a beautiful thing. >> it will old news by the end of this show. >> exactly. kim kardashian back in the news. there's always a backlash when talking about kim kardashian on the show. but major news here. apparently he is jumping off the kardashian ship. she wants her privacy. she is saying that the ninth season of "keeping up with the kardashians" will be her last season. she says reality tv is about to become a thing of the past for her. people are saying, is this a gimmick? you're going to get your own show. because how is she, of all people, not going to turn her pregnancy and raising her baby with kanye, how is she not going to turn that into a reality show? but she's saying after nine

seasons, peace out. >> it's going to be keeping up with kim and kanye. that's the problem. she's just thinking of the next name. >> that's it. that's the spinoff. >> and in a week, we'll see sonogram pictures. just wait. all right. so this is kind of a throwback, an oldie but a goodie from the '80s. '80s? you remember, "a different world "? it was a spinoff from "the cosby show." lou myers has passed away. he was mr. vernon gaines from the show. he was 77 years old. heart related emergency and he passed away from pneumonia. >> no one loved the "cosby show" more than i, and he was funny on that show. he had that funny southern accent. he was just a good character. sorry to hear about that news this morning. prayers to the family. >> but there is only a small fraction of america that's going to know who we're talking about. >> if you're fans of that show, you know who we're talking about. also, seth macfarlane saying, you know, he's going to host the oscars. he says he's expecting bad

reviews. you know even if you put on the greatest show in the world, you're going to be lambasted in the press. so you might as well enjoy yourself. so obviously oscar is bringing him in. he's an exceptionally funny guy. but it is a tough gig. he's there to draw in the younger viewers. but the critics always have a field day on post oscar. we wish him well, though. >> i think it's going to be the funniest one yet. >> he's more ricky gervais than billy crystal. so tune in. ervais than billy crystal. so tune in. than billy crystal. so tune in. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling

occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs.

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help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands a year in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. ♪ ♪ ♪ black coffee black coffee ♪ ♪ wow black coffee black coffee ♪ you like black coffee? >> i can drink black coffee, lots of sugar. hipsters usually like to come off like they're too cool to compete in anything. but here's an exception. hipsters, who are baristas. >> the 2013 world brewer's cup championship is in preliminary rounds. and michelle charlesworth from wabc checked it out. >> reporter: they were tamping,

frothing, tasting, and pouring in this barista competition. >> every barista competitor has 15 minutes to make a set of drinks for judges. they have to make four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature beverages. >> reporter: katie is the number one barista in america. lou barba is one of the judges. he was reared on the bean and cannot remember not drinking coffee. >> i've basically weaned on coffee. >> reporter: was it in your bottle? >> it was my bottle almost, exactly, yeah. >> reporter: what about the rules? lou, this is like a phone book here. these are the rules and regulations. 23 pages. the categories are technical and sensory. as the crowd looks on, the coffee takes shape. i have to whisper, because we're in the middle of the competition. but i really like this guy. he kind of looks like ryan gosling, from "the notebook," remember that cute movie? what a cutie. he's got this little jug of

looks like moon shine, but it's filtered water on the side. it's part presentation and education. >> it's a lot of fun. it's a way to learn about another country. it's almost like a geography lesson in itself. >> reporter: up there on the third floor is where the competition is going on. but they're only serving black coffee. that's not how i take it. so i had to sneak over here to get my sugar and milk. yeah, baby. i've got to drink this contraband though before i head back over there. but there's a good reason they keep it black. >> we work hard to get the highest quality beans. with all these interesting tastes and flavors in them. >> reporter: they love what they do and they pass that love to all of us. cheers. michelle charlesworth, channel 7, eyewitness news. >> sugar. >> a little soul in that story. i think michelle enjoyed that assignment. >> the blend. >> oh, look at this. >> thank you. >> real coffee. i thought they cut this out of the budget last quarter. >> for you, sir. black, the way you like it. >> i like my coffee black, the

way i like my men. >> oh look at that, see. >> that's me, working hard. >> if this tv thing doesn't work out, that's where we'll be. no problem with that. >> find me at starbucks. ♪

this morning on "world news now" -- financial fiasco. new budget warnings that put hundreds of thousands of jobs and paychecks on the line. >> the impact from pentagon workers to national security if congress misses a critical deadline. it's thursday, february 21st. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm diana perez. we'll get to the latest budget warnings and how they could impact so many people in our top story.

also this morning, the deadly winter storm system pounding the middle of the country right now. the hazardous travel with some areas expecting up to two feet of snow today. >> old man winter is on a rampage this year. >> he's mad. >> not letting up on anybody. man, wake me up in april. i'm going to say it again. and he was considered a family man and a father of eight. but now a bombshell from this former senator that involves an affair more than two decades ago, and much, much more. that's the second senator in recent days to unveil this kind of news. >> admit to having hidden secrets. hmm. and later, playing basketball with a young sensational athlete who is just 4'5". see why this little guy has an enormous future ahead of him on the court. >> big future, maybe big contracts. >> whoa. he is a cutie pie. >> keep it up, little man. but first, thousands of federal workers could soon see pay cuts and potential layoffs

if those budget cuts go into effect in a matter of days. >> the pain would be felt not only in washington but across the country. abc's karen travers reports from washington. >> reporter: the clock is ticking. just days until $85 billion in federal spending cuts could go into effect. the pentagon says if that happens, the vast majority of its 800,000 civilian workers will have to be furloughed. >> frankly, this is one of the least -- or most distasteful tasks i have faced in my four years in this job. >> reporter: those employees would lose one day of work each week for up to 22 weeks. that means a loss of about 20% of their pay. military personnel would be exempted from the furloughs, but pentagon officials warn that even though it's the civilian workforce that there take the district hit in their walts -- >> the associated furloughs will impact our war fighters, our veterans and our family members in untold ways. >> reporter: lawmakers voted to delay the automatic spending cuts by two months as part of that last-minute deal at new

year's to avoid the fiscal cliff. but that just set up another deadline. if congress doesn't act by march 1st, $85 billion in spending cuts go into effect all at once. in addition to the pentagon cuts, it would mean tsa agents are furloughed. expect longer lines at airport security. 1,000 fbi and other law enforcement agents forced off the job. 70,000 preschoolers dropped from their head start program. >> it was never meant to become implemented policy. >> reporter: 80% of the pentagon's civilian workforce is based outside of the washington, d.c. area. virginia and california are the states that would be most affected by the furloughs. rob and diana, back to you. >> our thanks to karen. >> you can see from that piece just how widespread these cuts are. but we've seen this drama play out before. we're going to get to the 11th hour, they're going to come up with a deal that prevents all of it, but kicks it all to june 1st.

then memorial day weekend, we'll have another deadline crunch. it's the same thing over and over again. it's this really disgusting and frustrating sense of deja vu on capitol hill. >> i have a feeling this has been happening inside of the -- in the inner workings of the government since government was established. democrats and republicans are not going to agree on everything. the problem is, we continue to draw this out and america starts paying attention when it's the things that affect them day to day. and america is paying attention to all this stuff. and that's why there is -- the amount of people who are so disenfranchised and so dissatisfied with the government is growing day by day. >> i'm a firm believer if you're over here on an issue and i'm here, there's a whole bunch of room we can come together for on some kind of deal. neither side wants to give. it's frustrating for everybody, especially when paychecks and jobs are on the line. so stay tuned, everybody. the obama administration may soon urge the supreme court to overturn california's ban on same-sex marriage. the white house is reportedly quietly considering filing a so-called "friend of the court"

brief. and that could help sway the justices. the president's call for gay rights during last month's inaugural address suggested he may now see a federal role in defining marriage. i think people are going to have a strong reaction to that. it's like look, three separate branches of government, checks and balances. so why is the white house nudging the allegedly independent judicial branch to take something on that is a very controversial issue that divides the country deeply. >> but the president, in his inaugural address, spoke about several things, and that was one of them. he touched upon it very briefly, and people noticed and he's -- immigration is one of the things he's taking on in the second term of his administration. health care he took on in the first term. so it doesn't surprise me he's trying to put more things on his plate. the more things he can get done, in his second term, the better his legacy will be, i assume is what he's thinking. >> certainly, the polls sway for

gay marriage in the country. but how people react to that nudging of the court could be very interesting. >> that will be controversial. >> people may not like that, the tactics involved. senator john mccain is getting an earful from some constituents in arizona. a town hall meeting in phoenix turned hostile when opponents of immigration reform challenged mccain about his plan to introduce legislation, offering a pathway of citizenship for people who entered the country illegally. >> build the dang fence. where's the fence? >> in case you missed it, i showed you -- >> that's not a fence. >> that's not a fence, it's a banana. we're putting up a banana with about $600 million worth of appropriations. if you look up the constitution of the united states, we're not allowed to have an armed militia on our border because that's what our founding fathers wanted. your problem is with them, not with me. >> feisty. mccain called one man a jerk after he accused mccain of taking away social security to give to what he called a dependent class of people. wow.

>> things got heated there. and a bombshell secret is revealed by a respected former senator. pete domenici says he fathered a secret clild child during an affair back in the 1970s. even more shocking, the woman in the affair was the daughter of one of his senate colleagues. he was new mexico's longest serving senator before his retirement back in 2008. some personal details about him. he has eight children with his wife that he's been married to for 50 years. jesse jackson jr. faces a possible five years in prison after pleading guilty to corruption charges. the former congressman admitted to stealing $750,000 in campaign funds for his personal gain. memorabilia from michael jackson, jimi hendrix, and bruce lee, home furnishings, and even

a rolex watch worth $43,000. he apologized after the hearing saying he simply let everybody down. one body has been recovered from the rubble of that restaurant explosion in kansas city. the blast injured 15 people, 6 of them are still in the hospital. and now there are questions about whether the area should have been evacuated earlier. workers in nearby buildings say they smelled gas hours before that explosion. the center of the nation is being pounded by a major winter storm this morning. warnings and advisories are posted from new mexico to wisconsin. here's abc's weather editor sam champion with more. >> reporter: it started as a brutal wintery blast, covering california with wind, rain and snow. drivers unprepared for the messy conditions slipped, skidded, and spun out, causing pileups. >> it's terrible, because they can't clean the roads and it will just get worse. >> reporter: and stranding hundreds of drivers, some for hours, after icy highways were shut down. >> we're going to senora. >> but it's not the road. it's too icy. we keep having people spin off the road. >> reporter: ice caused this

school bus to slide off the road, injuring four students and the bus driver. now the storm moves east. officials already helping distressed drivers on snow covered roads in wichita, kansas. in arizona, the pga suspended its championship because snow-covered greens made it impossible to play. at tulsa international airport, workers raced to clear off planes in nearly whiteout conditions. snowfall will stretch from denver, where up to 6 inches is expected, and head east, with up to a foot or more west of kansas city. now the heartland preparing for what could be the worst storm to hit the midwest since the groundhog day blizzard in 2011. sam champion, abc news, new york. here's a look at the rest of the nation's weather. little rock and memphis can expect a messy mix of rain, freezing rain, and sleet. severe storms are a threat in new orleans and houston. expect winds up to 70 miles an hour there. >> temperatures in the upper midwest are colder than usual. los angeles meanwhile warms up into the 60s. south texas and southern florida are warmer than usual with miami

at a balmy 82. and for some history here. back in 2002, there was a rap song on the charts called "welcome to atlanta." now a new take on that idea. ♪ welcome to atlanta we've got the biggest fish, it ain't no joke ♪ ♪ hey, i'm drawing a blank, a knock on the door, who is it ♪ ♪ talking much smack with shaq and barbie ♪ ♪ i split my spleen and now i'm going to turn 13 ♪ >> he split his spleen and now he's going to -- wow. that's 12-year-old daniel blooming doing his version of "welcome to atlanta." this whole video is the "save the date" announcement for his upcoming bar mitzvah. a number of celebrities make appearances, including atlanta's mayor.

>> with something like that out there, they better have a huge plan for that day. so everybody out there, save the day for this young man, bar mitzvah, saturday, may 11th. he's got some skills. >> i love that his hat is sideways, he's got chains on. that's so funny. >> i love it. >> it's great. good for him. i hope all the stars come to your bar mitzvah. >> invite us there. we'll show up. >> we'll show up. >> if you pay for it. >> we'll show up. if you pay for the flight. >> and the food and the hotel and a new suit. >> that's a whole lot. i don't think we're going. >> we're needy. coming up, red carpet treatment for a beloved abc news colleague. this has nothing to do with the oscars. and he may be short in stature, but he has big-time athletic talent. meet the 11-year-old basketball sensation getting all of the attention. you're watching "world news now." ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by

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some of the countries touched by the arab spring two years ago have moved on one way or another. but not syria. >> it has spiraled instead into a bloody civil war that threatens to draw in the rest of the world. abc's terry moran travelled to the capital city of damascus to report from inside syria. >> reporter: a rebel mortar shell fired from the suburbs blasted out windows and scattered shrapnel into the building, killing a young soccer player. his teammate was in the room when it happened. in front of me, my friend was just talking to me and he died, he tells me.

we're all just athletes, he says. we have nothing to do with this violence. in a suburb just a few miles away from the hotel, at least 13 people were killed in an apparent government air strike. and a rebel group released this video, which they claim shows them shooting down a syrian jet fighter. we went to the main military hospital in damascus. syrian forces are taking heavy casualties in this war. as many as 16,000 killed. general nadal ibrahim, his legs badly shot up, his spirit defiant. i asked him about the allegations that his troops are massacring civilians. this is a false accusation, he tells me, and had it come down to me, i would have adopted a scorched earth policy with these armed men. hello. but life somehow goes on here. you can still stroll through the old markets. we bought nuts from a very enthusiastic merchant.

and you can still enter the splendid mosque, an ancient house of god where the people pray in an oasis of peace, while outside their nation drowns in the blood of civil war. terry moran, abc news, damascus. >> and there has been a debate here back in the u.s. about whether to arm the rebels in that country or not. it seems former secretary of state hillary clinton was for it. leon panetta was for it. but the white house put the stop on that, because they said we don't want those weapons to fall into the wrong hands. this has been a quagmire for two years now. how to handle this and where do things go? >> and it's so far-reaching at this point. we're talking about 70,000 people dead. it's cost the government $48 billion, billion with a "b." the economy that's already crippled, now it's costing them the equivalent of that much money. it's hard to tell where it's going to stop, when it's going to stop. the u.n. now says war crime charges should be brought on

both sides, the government and the rebels. so it's just something -- and we have to watch it from afar. >> we will be back right after this. >> announcer: "world

♪ welcome back to that same old place that you laughed about ♪ oh, that takes you back, doesn't it? >> oh, yeah. >> of course, welcome back to robin roberts, taking her "gma" anchor seat once again. we watched as she turned her private health battle into a campaign for bone marrow donations. >> josh elliott takes us behind the scenes of her triumphant return. >> five minutes to air. five minutes. >> there do you go, baby! yeah! >> five, four, three -- >> hi, it's robin. and i are been waiting 174 days to say this.

good morning, america. >> reporter: what no one could see in front of the camera, what we saw behind the scenes of a morning we'd all longed for. >> faith, family and friends have brought me to this moment. and i am so full of gratitude. >> reporter: a day of celebration after an arduous trek that began last june, when she first told us. >> it is a rare blood disorder that affects the bone marrow. >> reporter: to a few months later, when we saw her in treatment, receiving her sister's precious bone marrow. >> this journey is as much about the mind as it is the body. >> reporter: we prayed with her. we sang. we watched in awe as she fought. >> i know my former teammates at southeastern, they would go two? two pounds? that's it? yeah, that's it. but it's one more pound than i

did the last time. >> reporter: and she willed her body to match her spirit. how was it? >> like riding a bike. >> reporter: shaky and bumpy all over the road. >> my doctor said to me, a few days ago, he said, it's time to take off the training wheels. it feels good. and i just wanted to come back to work. >> reporter: her doctors reminded us that she's still walking the path to recovery. >> today is a dress rehearsal. >> i don't care who the interview is with, if you're not well enough to go, you're not going. >> reporter: her sister, sally-ann, her donor, quite literally with robin now, every step of the way. >> it was the easiest thing in the world to be a donor. i'm just so amazed at your strength. >> reporter: at long last, robin's remarkable journey had finally taken her home. i know everybody, nobody should touch her. nobody should touch her. but i get to. special. welcome back. >> thank you. >> reporter: josh elliott, abc news, new york. >> and all the elbow bumping and the no one should touch her is because she can't be exposed to the germs.

so she was there early, a couple of days early, to see how the lights affected her. how being around so many people affected her. but she looks absolutely wonderful. >> the immune system is still weak, that's the concern. but she's not. she's coming back and raring to go. she's going to interview the first lady down the road. she's going to be at the oscars with the whole "gma" team over the weekend. so she's coming back and coming back strong. save them. woolite everyday, cleans your jeans and won't torture your tanks. woolite washed clothes look like new, longer. in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid

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"modern family." >> nice. they deserve to be number one though. finally, look out, kobe. one of the hottest basketball players in america is just 4'5" and in the fifth grade. >> this kid is so good, he was bumped up from his middle school team to varsity, where he's proven he isn't afraid of the big guys, including abc's john schriffen. >> reporter: lots of kids dream of being the next lebron james or kobe bryant. but julian newman may just have a shot. only 11 years old, he's playing guys two feet taller and seven years older. and guess what? he's beating them. >> they think i'm not good or -- but when they see me, they see different. >> reporter: this fifth grader is the starting point guard on his high school's varsity basketball team. that's right, fresh from elementary school, julian plays for the high school varsity team. >> right away, we knew he had a talent. >> reporter: his dad, also his coach, put together his highlight reel on youtube. it's going viral with more than 2.5 million hits and counting.

now he's being watched by recruiters. has it hit you yet that you're this big star? >> no. >> reporter: so we put him to the test. want to see if you can go a little one on one? >> okay. >> reporter: at 4'5", it sure seems like i have the advantage. but julian is quick. bucket. this kid is one to watch on the court and in the classroom. a straight a student with hoop dreams. nice job. jon schriffen, abc news, new york. >> keep up the good work. we'll be watching. >> the kid has skills, no doubt. i wouldn't say that was john's best defense, just to be real. but get this, he was promoted to his varsity team because his first three games in the middle school team, he scored 63, 69 and 91 points. >> wow! you can do better, right, than john? >> i taught that kid everything he knows, man. >> right. okay. and you're the original baller.

>> all 5'8" of this chocolate thunder on the court. i slam it down. >> just go to commercial, quickly. just go to special. please.

this morning on "world news now" -- mean season. storm warnings go up in 19 states with the threat of blizzard conditions. >> and the storm has already turned deadly as it barrels from coast to coast. it's thursday, february 21st. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> she stole my script. that's how we start the morning. >> he stole my pen. >> turnabout is fair play. it's a crime-ridden show on this thursday morning. >> it's a sad state of affairs here.

>> this is what we do in the overnight. there's no more paper in the budget. we're rationing. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm diana perez. the storm season is threatening the entire country with whiteout conditions and even tornadoes. stay tuned for more from accuweather. also this morning, congressman jesse jackson jr.'s apology. he pleaded guilty to using campaign bank accounts to go on elaborate shopping sprees. >> really is amazing the arrogance on of some folks to think what they're going to get away with, as like no one is going to trace that $40,000 rolex. and think, hmm, how did you pay for that, congressman? another one bites the dust. >> and the last thing you see is them crying in court. you didn't think about this while you were spending the money? >> it always begs the question, are you sorry you did it or are you sorry you got caught? >> you got caught. >> you got caught. >> you got caught. that was a pretty rolex. >> hope it was worth your career. then a medical headline to perk you up this morning. cancer researchers just uncovered more health benefits

in coffee. the cameras on us. how much you need to drink to get a boost. >> nice. later on this half hour, as oscar hopefuls get ready for sunday's big academy awards ceremony, we'll introduce you to the oldest and the youngest nominees. it's trivia for a memorable night this coming sunday. >> nothing more americana than the oscars. everyone wants to sit around, who wins, who is wearing what, get wrapped up in the whole hollywood spectacle. award season yet again. >> i cannot wait. before all of that, winter storm warnings are in effect as the center of the nation is getting hit with dangerous weather. kansas is in the bull's-eye of the storm right now. but warnings and advisories are posted from albuquerque to the windy city. our coverage begins with abc's brad wheelis. >> reporter: california has been getting walloped with a wintery mix of wind, rain, and snow. drivers lost control. others were stranded. some roads were shut down. >> it's terrible because they can't clean the roads. and it will just get worse.

>> reporter: watches and warnings have been issued, affecting 30 million people in 19 states. at tulsa international airport, flights were grounded. while crews attempted to clean off planes. more delays and cancellations in kansas. take a look at this rare sight. a snowman in scottsdale, arizona. and near tucson, snow-covered greens halted play at the pga championship. parts of michigan and wisconsin are clearing snow and dealing with whiteout conditions. >> after we got hit here, we hit a car and 70 cars hit us. >> reporter: residents are stocking up on supplies and bracing for up to a foot of snow. >> everybody is getting ready for the storm. and the lines are pretty long. >> reporter: the full strength of the storm will be felt thursday when it brings more snow, ice, and even tornadoes. brad wheelis, abc news, los angeles. >> and the travel problems from this storm are only going to get worse in the hours ahead. >> meteorologist jim dickey is tracking the storm for us over at accuweather. good morning, jim.

>> good morning, rob and diana. tracking a powerful storm system. snow has started in portions of the plains, that will continue through the day. as this moves eastward, widespread severe thunderstorms in central texas through the lower mississippi valley. the hardest hit areas is in central kansas. watch out along the i-70 corridor. 12 to 24 inches of snow by the time all is said and done. the heaviest accumulation just off to the north and west of wichita. the severe weather spreading east through the afternoon into the overnight. rob and diana, back to you. >> our thanks to jim dickey. in south africa, closing arguments are set today for olympian oscar pistorius' bail hearing. his attorney poked several holes in prosecutors' claims that he intentionally murdered his girlfriend. a lead investigator even conceded there is no evidence challenging pistorius' claim that he accidentally killed reeva steenkamp. and now a bombshell, an investigator is facing seven counts of attempted murder himself. those charges stem from a 2011

incident in which he and two other cops fired into a vehicle while trying to stop it. and the prosecutors in phoenix are expected to begin cross-examination of jodi arias, the woman accused in the brutal murder of her boyfriend. she appeared to draw a blank on the stand yesterday, saying she had no memory of stabbing travis alexander in 2008. alexander was stabbed 27 times and found shot in the head with his throat slit. she insists she killed him in self-defense. from a promising political future to the possibility of prison time, former congressman jesse jackson jr. could get five years, after admitting he used thousands in campaign funds for his personal use. for more on this, here's abc's pierre thomas. >> reporter: congressman jesse jackson jr. left court in disgrace. breaking months of silence. >> it's not a proud day. i'm sorry i let everybody down. >> reporter: the son of an iconic civil rights leader and one-time presidential candidate had been a rising star. even speaking at the 2008 democratic national convention. but jackson was in court weeping

as a convicted felon. he turned to his father to say, i'm sorry. jackson admitted to stealing $750,000 in campaign funds for personal gain. buying michael jackson, jimi hendrix, and bruce lee memorabilia. furs, home furnishings, a rolex watch worth more than $43,000. jackson faces more than four years in prison as part of his guilty plea and likely will serve time. not a future jackson or his father ever expected. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> that's only a few of the things. >> let's run through this list of things. bruce lee memorabilia, $10,000. best buy flat screen tvs, blu-ray dvds and dvd players, $11,000. mlk memorabilia, $11,000. martha's vineyard holistic retreat, $6,000. football signed by u.s. presidents, $5,000. fur capes and parkas, $5,000. eddie van halen guitar, michael jackson memorabilia, $4,000.

malcolm x memorabilia, $2200. jimi hendrix memorabilia, $3,000. >> a total of $750,000 in campaign funds this man used to buy all of the things he wanted to buy. by the way, he's expected to have to pay penalties of $10,000 to $100,000. >> a lot of this is just celebrity memorabilia stuff. in addition to the bling bling. >> where do you fit it all at some point? don't you have enough? >> and how do you believe that it's just -- how do you believe it's inconspicuous and you're not going to get caught? >> yeah. you have to know it's not okay. >> human greed is a powerful thing. wow. now to an update on that little girl in oregon who has been severely burned in her hospital bed. ireland lane is up and about now awaiting more skin graft surgery today. investigators are confirming the fire was sparked by static electricity from her bed sheets, and it was fed by a mix of alcohol-based hand sanitizer and

olive oil. the sanitizer was being used to clean up after an art project. the olive oil was being used to remove adhesive, left over from a medical test. today is her 12th birthday. >> that's just an important story, because one official said this is something that can happen in any medical facility in the country. it sounds rare and strange, but it could really happen when you put those ingredients together. >> this is like the safest place and you would think this would never happen in her hospital room, in her hospital bed, where, by the way, she's recovering from cancer. >> a cancer survivor to 20% of her body burned in this freak accident. >> and she's such a beautiful little girl. she's in great spirits, which is even better. >> as tough as it is, happy birthday to that little girl. >> yes. >> she's a survivor in more ways than one. >> best of luck to her. >> mm. in other news this morning, medical researchers just released the results of an astonishing survey revealing americans' fast food habits. here we go.

the survey shows adults ate 11% of their daily calories in fast food over a four-year period. topping the survey, nonhispanic black adults who ate one-fifth of their diet from fast food, while the over 60 crowd ate fast food just 6% of the time. and it looks like drinking coffee can give you the jolt you need to live a little longer. a new study of older americans found three cups of coffee a day can we deuce the risk of early death by up to 15%. too much caffeine used to be considered unhealthy. but researchers now say the more coffee people consume, the less likely they were to die from injuries, heart disease, stroke and other ailments. hmm. i need to take my pen out of my coffee and drink it. >> yes, indeed. that's good news on this shift. we're all going to live to 100. >> yes. just wait until tomorrow when the next study says the opposite. >> based on this study, we can do this show forever.

>> yay. all right. moving on now. the possibility of great ridicule is the only reason why this is our, boom, "favorite story of the day." are you ready for a clothing line courtesy of the u.s. postal service? >> that's right. the cash-strapped agency announced plans for a new line of all-weather apparel and accessories. the line is called, rain, heat, and snow. and it will be available next year. >> they say it will include, this is no joke, they say it's going to include jackets and headgear that will allow for integration with your modern gadgets. i assume that means your iphone, ipad. or what have you. so look forward to that, a clothing line by the u.s. postal service. very, very -- >> oh. >> oh -- everyone's favorite postman, cliff claven. maybe the best fashion line is to be buck naked, since they ain't got no money. you know what i mean? but hey. >> so they're trying to make some money, but to roll this out is going to take some time and some money. which they don't have.

but, but if you want to get your hands on these hot new items, by the way, they're not going to be everywhere and anywhere, they're going to be in upscale stores. >> really? got my little blue shorts and blue socks? nicely done. whatever helps, guys. coming up next, the remarkable new pen that lets you draw in 3-d. pretty cool. and the academy awards by the numbers. from the oldest nominee to the youngest and much, much more. you're watching "world news now." ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by consumer cellular. consumer cellular.

have given way to sleeping. tossing and turning where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta®(eszopiclone) can help you get there. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or

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the iranian hostage crisis isn't something that americans talk about much. it lasted a long time and strained relations between the u.s. and iran. >> the oscar-nominated movie "argo" has put a spotlight back on that crisis and on the secretive nation, as well. abc's david muir was invited to take a look inside iran. >> we have just landed. >> reporter: we landed in iran in a country where american journalists are rarely allowed to visit. and rarer still, we were given

access to the people, the streets of tehran. above ground, a bustling city of 12 million. [ horn honking ] below ground, we discover a gleaming subway system, far quieter and cleaner than the famous subways of new york city. and there was something else very different. this says women only here. the back of the train reserved for women. beyond the trains, the traffic, everywhere you look there's something else on the move, the prices. skyrocketing inflation. their currency losing 80% of its value in just the last year. u.s.-led sanctions tying an economic noose around iran. >> i think it's -- to the people. >> reporter: the iranian people. >> plus, i think, the normal people. >> reporter: the relationship between the u.s. and iran never recovered after those 444 days. americans held hostage as the world watched. right here in the heart of downtown tehran, what used to be the u.s. embassy of course, the infamous backdrop to the hostage crisis that began unfolding in

'79, you can see the gates are still here, still closed decades later. and behind us here what used to be the seal. you can still faintly make out "united states of america" here. still today, the walls here painted with anti-american murals, the guard stations empty. many here hoping for an end to the sanctions and to the nuclear standoff. david muir, abc news, tehran. >> and we've been talking so much about the nuclear threat posed by iran. but there is some reluctance by the administration to send troops in there, hoping economic sanction also cripple the economy enough and that perhaps is what will cause iran to cave and get back to the table and maybe pave the way for progress here. >> but there is disheartening news out of tehran. there's high-tech machines that have been installed in their nuclear site that can accelerate the production of warheads. that's happening now. so there are talks coming up at the end of february. hopefully, we can come to some kind of resolution. the next thing that might happen

there are some air strikes. >> a big question mark. >> we don't want that. coming up next, oscars by the numbers. >> the 85th academy awards in just three days. what's your guess on the oldest nominee, the youngest, the tallest, the shortest? all that coming up next. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our ab

the academy awards could draw a record audience sunday night, especially with seth macfarlane as host. >> if it does, it would go into the record books for sure. abc's bill weir takes a look at the oscars by the numbers. >> it's been 84 years. >> reporter: close, gloria stewart. the academy's oldest ever nominee. but this is the 85th year of the oscars. by the end of the night sunday, one of these nine films will be named the 85th best picture. maybe.

because in 2002, "a beautiful mind" wasn't handed its oscar until almost 1:00 a.m. eastern the following morning. 4:23 after the show began. but if you think that's long, in 1968, the academy awarded its best foreign language oscar to "war and peace," the novel 1440 pages, turned film ran nearly seven hours long. you could see the shortest best picture winner, "marty" almost five times in that stretch. speaking of short, sunday's pint-sized nominee, quvenzhane wall lis, for best actress stood around three feet tall when she shot "beasts of the southern wild." on the flip side, two-time winner daniel day lewis stands 6'2", playing the slightly taller 16th president. the tallest best actor winner? the duke, john wayne, just over 6'4". not counting the hat. this year, "lincoln" leads the pack with 12 nods, two shy of

co-record holder "titanic." the most nominated film wins best picture only 67% of the time. and no actor has ever won for playing a president. how do you get the edge? being part of hollywood's first family doesn't hurt. no, not that one. this one, the coppolas. with roman's nod for cowriting "moonrise kingdom," six members of the famous family have received a total of 24 nominations, with 8 wins. so how will the numbers finally stack up? will emmanuelle riva have her first win at 89? or quvenzhane wallis, her first? will denzel win his second, as best actor. spielberg his third? or john williams, his sixth for best score? for that, you need to know these numbers. 85, 7 and 4. the 85th annual academy awards airs sunday, 7:00 in the east,

4:00 in the west only on abc. >> well done, mr. weir. >> as usual. here's a couple other facts about the little trivia for you. the first and only silent film to win best picture, "wings." not "the artist" which everybody believed it was in 2011. >> well done. the more you know. "wings." >> well done. the more you know. [ male announcer ] zzzquil™ sleep-aid. [ snoring ] [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] it's not for colds. it's not for pain. it's just for sleep. [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] because sleep is a beautiful thing™. [ birds chirping ] zzzquil™. the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil®. ♪

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from the rim down to the water line to kill 99.9% of germs. and removes stains better than clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. so if you want to do the whole job, lysol's got you covered. lysol. mission for health. and for an incredibly clean and fresh bowl with every flush, try the no mess automatic toilet bowl cleaner. this first story in "the mix" comes from the cool tech world file. i like this a lot. there's a kickstarter page where people can donate money to a project to help get it off the ground. so on kickstarter, you can find this project called three doodler. which is the first ever 3-d printing pen. the video is pretty cool. it tapes plastic strips on to a drawing surface. literally, what you do with that pen, it becomes the

three-dimensional figure there. so they've raised almost $400,000 for this. the goal was $30,000. so obviously it's doing very well. but it takes your artistic creations off the paper. if you go to the site kickstarter and donate to this three doodler. donate $75. you get the pen and two bags of that plastic stuff that makes the art come off the page. >> like silly string. i like it. >> technology, could be kind of cool. here's something everybody knows. there's now some science behind it. women talk more than men. >> true dat. >> we talk so much more than men, apparently, we speak 20,000 words more than -- or 13,000 words more than you. we speak 20,000, you speak 7,000. >> in a day? >> in a day. >> wow. >> and apparently, this is auz bawl w all because we have this higher protein. called fox p-2 protein. a team at the university of

maryland found that male rats were chatty. >> rats? come on. just eat the cheese and shut up. >> so female mice were chatty, but the good news here is girls speak quicker than boys do. developmentally. so, ha! >> there we go. here's news for all you new yorkers out there. apparently, in this consumer culture we have in new york, a brand-new thing is coming where they're going to have these vending machines in the cabs, so you can swipe your card in the cab and pay. your bill. now you can swipe your card in a vending machine that will sell everything from cologne to condoms in fact in the back of cabs. >> finally. >> they're making a debut in random locations in new york, coming to a cab sometime soon. >> how many times have you been in a cab -- >> very interesting. i'm just saying here. you know what i mean? that's all we need in new york cabs, more blowing. >> whoa?

las spot story. we really want to get to this one. a mom in new york threw her 16-year-old son a birthday party, now she's facing endangering a child welfare charges because she hired strippers. >> really? >> she hired strippers. facebook is how everybody found out. >> happy birthday, baby.

this morning on "world news now" -- case unraveling. the latest roadblocks for prosecutors in the oscar pistorius murder case. >> as a bombshell development involving a lead investigator surfaces on a key day of testimony. it's thursday, february 21st. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning. i'm diana perez. >> happy friday eve, everybody. i'm rob nelson. we'll get to the fast-moving developments in the murder case from south africa coming up in just a second, particularly that new info about the lead investigator.

>> something you wouldn't expect. >> that could taint the whole thing. an interesting tidbit coming out of there. plus this morning, warnings to pentagon workers about pay cuts and potential layoffs if congress fails to act on a looming budget deadline. the impact of this one could be pretty far reaching. a new reason to study your credit card statements very carefully. the sneaky hidden fees that could be costing you and how to avoid falling victim to them in the first place. >> that's a good way to get angry. look at your cell phone bill, your credit card bill, all those little things they tack on, it's a little crazy. you've got to call them out sometimes. >> if you call them and say what's this? sometimes they'll say, oops. >> oh, i'm sorry. how did that get on there? let me take that off. >> you've been paying $3 for the last four years? but we're not going to give your money back. >> we'll take care of it next month. yeah, we know how that goes. so important advice coming up in that piece. and later this half hour, he's among the most eligible bachelors on the planet. now it looks like prince harry has a new squeeze. hopefully not that snake.

find out who she is coming up in "the skinny." he gets around though, man. prince harry doesn't stay -- >> i've said it before, and i'll say it again, i want to party with him. >> he's not lonely often, if ever. >> ever. but first to this. olympian oscar pistorius could learn as soon as today if he'll await the trial for murder of his girlfriend in jail or out on bail. >> pistorius arrived under cover at the courthouse this morning. he's there for closing arguments in his lengthy bail hearing. that hearing had all of the trappings, though, of a full-blown trial. abc's bazi kanani has the details. >> reporter: stoic, oscar pistorius back in court as prosecutors argued he was too much a flight risk to grant bail, showing blueprints and explaining what happened the night he shot his girlfriend, model reeva steenkamp. pistorius said they were both sleeping when he woke, heard a noise, grabbed his gun from under the bed and rushed into the bathroom. but prosecutors say pistorius

would have had to cross the bed to get to the bathroom and should have noticed steenkamp was not in it. and they say this is key. they intend to use ballistics to show he was already wearing his prosthetic legs when firing his gun, hoping to disprove his testimony that he woke up in the middle of the night and rushed to confront an intruder without taking the time to put on his prosthetics. >> here the prosecution has a critical piece of evidence that could determine whether his story was accurate or not. >> reporter: but, in a series of missteps, prosecutors revealed the witness who claimed to hear yelling was up to six football fields away, and backtracked from claims they found needles and testosterone in the house, saying test results aren't back yet. >> oscar will survive. he will have a tough time going forward, but he's a survivor. >> reporter: bazi kanani, abc news, pretoria, south africa. >> and by the way, the lead

investigator of this whole thing, his name is hilton botha, he's set to appear in court in may for seven counts of attempted murder. >> wow. >> so talk about tainting this entire thing, which is what you said. apparently him and two other police officers fired shots while trying to stop a minivan, and killed everybody apparently in the minivan. so now -- >> or tried to at least. i mean that's -- that's -- how can his background and his brush with the law to say the least not, play a role -- how does that not damage his credibility as the lead investigator into another murder? i don't understand that at all. >> how is he still investigating anything? >> that piece was interesting, we talked about this yesterday. how did pistorius get out of his bed and not know his girlfriend was there? he had to roll over that bed. he would have then noticed, wait a minute. where's my girl? and didn't. >> right. >> so it seems like this case, on both sides, has some shaky ground to deal with right now. >> this case is getting a lot of attention.

there was one reporter from another news agency who fainted in the crush of reporters trying to get into the courthouse yesterday. >> wow. >> it's getting a lot of attention, worldwide attention. >> apparently a small courtroom, too. they're packed in there. >> that's for sure. now we're going to turn to mr. lance armstrong. he's missed a deadline to testify to u.s. anti-doping agents and possibly have his lifetime ban from sports reduced. in a tersely worded statement, armstrong's attorney said the disgraced cycling champ is refusing to testify. the attorney says the process is destined to quote, demonize selected individuals. he will testify before an international tribunal looking into doping and cycling, but no such tribunal actually exists. former police sergeant drew peterson finds out today if he will get a new trial. peterson was convicted last fall in the murder of his third wife. he's also accused of killing wife number four. she disappeared in 2007. he claims his former attorney was incompetent and kept him from getting a fair trial. if the judge denies the retrial, peterson will be sentenced.

he faces up to 60 years in prison. five people are dead this morning after a small jet crashed in georgia. the plane was trying to land last night when it ran off of the runway. it crashed in the woods about 30 miles west of augusta. there were seven people on board flying in from nashville. one of the two survivors is believed to be a pilot. now a major milestone for the u.s. military in afghanistan. for the first time since 2007, more than 30 days has passed with no american military deaths in afghanistan. the pentagon says there are fewer enemy attacks and the afghan-led security operations are finally taking over. federal workers, including those at the pentagon, are being warned about losing part of their paychecks if those automatic spending cuts take effect march 1st. defense secretary leon panetta says he may have to shorten the workweek for 800,000 civilians. they would lose a day of work per week or 20% of their pay for up to 22 weeks, probably

starting in late april. the pentagon budget chief says the effects will be felt across the country. >> frankly, this is one of the least -- or the most distasteful tasks i have faced in my four years in this job. >> the associated furloughs will impact our war fighters, our veterans, and our family members in untold ways. >> adding his voice to the budget debate, secretary of state john kerry, who says the fiscal impasse is a serious threat to american credibility around the world. investigators uncovered the body of a woman killed in a huge explosion in downtown kansas city. and there are fears that at least one more body may be buried in the debris after a gas leak sparked a blast and fire in a popular dining and shopping district. the explosion went off tuesday night after a construction crew struck a natural gas line. winter storm warnings and advisories are posted this morning from albuquerque to chicago.

kansas is in the storm's bull's-eye with heavy snow, whiteout conditions, and some freezing rain on top of all of that. at least one fatality is being blamed on the storm so far. hundreds of flights have been canceled ahead of the system. here's a hazard that most golfers don't often face, snow. the first round of the match play championship was suspended after a winter storm hit arizona of all places. the 64 best golfers in the world will try again later today. a whitened golf course. you rarely see that in arizona. really? >> wow, no thank you. as this snowstorm moves east, schools, businesses and airports are shooting down. >> meteorologist jim dickey has more now from accuweather. good morning to you, jim. >> good morning rob and diana. a snow-filled day on tap across kansas here. snow has already started and our system is back into portions of the four corners here. so you see this swirl, marks the powerful upper level system that is supporting all this. that's going to drift eastward as we head through the early morning hours. that snow will only intensify here. whiteout conditions expected

through much of the day. and on the southern flank, expecting strong to severe thunderstorms in texas into the lower mississippi valley through the afternoon into the evening. as far as the snow is concerned, heaviest hit areas will be in central kansas. 12 to 24 inches along i-70 just to the north and west of wichita. this while storms bring damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes through the day. rob and diana, back to you. >> thanks, jim. let's hope our buddy jim there doesn't try this while doing a forecast anytime soon. >> a meteorologist in australia thought it would be a good idea to do his report as a passenger in a stunt plane. well, he was having trouble keeping it together when the pilot really cranked it up, hitting eight gs. it was just way too much for that fellow. >> he passed out and then the cameras stopped working afterwards. oh. the guy said his body just started feeling all warm and cozy while he was out.

did you see one eye open and one eye closed? >> you've got to pay the price trying to do cute, inventful tv. sometimes it backfires. >> there he goes again. >> hold on, buddy. hold on. >> there are a lot of things i wouldn't do for my job. getting in a fighter jet and going back and forth upside down, loopty-loops? no, thank you. i don't -- that's where i draw the line. look at him. >> and his supportive co-anchor is laughing. >> how do you keep it together? >> she can't. i can't blame her for laughing. he's okay. >> yeah, he's okay. but how do you -- poor guy. >> he's okay. lucky he didn't blow his cookies. that could have happened. >> we would not be showing you that. well, it is "world news now." never mind. coming up, credit card scams that could cost you. how you can avoid being a victim. and turning cups of coffee into works of art? the best baristas around compete for a caffeinated title. you're watching "world news now."

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♪ and the man came by and said yes, sir, cash or charge ♪ ♪ i said just put it on my credit card ♪ ♪ write that dude up, oh, convenient ♪ and do the do-si-do. this morning, a consumer alert about a rip-off that has

probably cost you a little money without you even knowing it. >> it's called cramming. small charges sneak onto your phone or credit card bill by people who hope you just don't notice. abc's cecilia vega has more. >> reporter: it hits consumers straight in the wallet. a $30 charge here, $40 there. buried so deep in your credit card bills, you might never even notice. tens of thousands of americans were hit with what the ftc calls fake fees, charged to your bill by vague financial services like debt to wealth, draining more than $24 million in all. >> it's smart to steal a little amount at a time, because you're hoping that consumers just don't spot it. i thing people were already hurting. >> reporter: many of the consumers recently applied for a payday loan or cash advance when they spotted the charge on the bill and called the toll-free number next to it to complain, they entered an infuriating maze of call centers around the globe. it's called cramming. the ftc says 20 million people a year fall victim to it.

until now, most of the charges were buried in phone bills. that's exactly what happened to susan epley from georgia. >> i think $9.99 was the lowest charge and $49.99 was the largest charge. >> reporter: the best advice? inspect your bills line by line. and if there is a bogus charge, dispute it right away with your credit card company. cecilia vega, abc news, los angeles. >> so many people get into the bad habit where you just automatically pay the bill right away. you call and pay over the phone or do it online. check that printed paper bill there's still value in that paper. and look at that itemized list what they're charging you. you would be surprised what you may find. >> that's what they're counting on. they're counting on the fact that you're not paying attention. and so many people, they make it so easy. one click. and sometimes you don't even have to open the bill anymore, because it's automatic. if you're not paying attention, they're little by little skimming it off the top like in "office space." penny by penny. >> you see those advertisements for the paperless bills. or automatic payments. don't trust.

look at your bill, folks. >> every single time. coming up, an earth- shattering decision by a member of the kardashian family. >> we are crushed. and what seth macfarlane is so worried about before the oscars. all that coming up next in "the skinny." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations.

♪ skinny so skinny

skinny in the house! >> whoa, whoa. >> that was violent. loud and violent. >> whoa, welcome back to tarzan, everybody. >> well, "skinny" is in the hiz-house. so we're starting with harry. once again prince harry is in the news. this time because he and society model cressida were apparently snapped kissing like teenagers. they've been dating, they've gotten cozy, and we've seen him in all of his glory in those vegas pictures. new pictures now of him and her that's on a ski trip, by the way, kissing apparently this happened in a restaurant where diners were looking on. they couldn't believe it. she was sitting on his lap and they were sucking face in front of everybody. there he is once again. he's been very verbal about the fact that he's not a fan of paparazzi and the media talking about him when he does some other stuff that's really good,

too. like he fights in wars and gives to charity and all they talk about is when he sucks face with girls. >> he does it all. harry does it all. that man does not have a boring life, we all know that. so hopefully that relationship lasts for the next ten minutes. it will be a beautiful thing. >> it will old news by the end of this show. >> exactly. kim kardashian back in the news. there's always a backlash when talking about kim kardashian on this show. but major news here. apparently, she is jumping off the kardashian ship. she wants her privacy. she is saying that the ninth season of "keeping up with the kardashians" will be her last season. she says reality tv is about to become a thing of the past for her. and now, look. people are saying, is this a gimmick? you're going to get your own show. because how is she, of all people, not going to turn her pregnancy and raising her baby with kanye, how is she not going to turn that into a reality show? but she's saying she's leaving it all behind. after nine seasons, peace out.

>> it's going to be "keeping up with kim and kanye." that's the problem. she's just thinking of the next name. >> that's it. that's the spinoff. >> and in a week, we'll see sonogram pictures. just wait. all right. so this is kind of a throwback, an oldie but a goodie from the '80s. '80s? >> '80s and part of the '9 ons, yeah. >> you guys remember "a different world "? it was a spinoff from "the cosby show." lou myers has passed away. he was mr. vernon gaines from the show. he was 77 years old. heart related emergency and he passed away from pneumonia. >> no one loved "the cosby show" "and "a different world" more than i, and he was funny on that show. he had that funny southern accent. he was just a good character. sorry to hear about that news this morning. prayers to the family. >> but there is only a small fraction of america that's going to know who we're talking about. >> if you're fans of that show, you know who we're talking about. also, seth macfarlane pretty much saying, look, you know, he's going to host the oscars this sunday.

he says he's expecting bad reviews. you know even if you put on the greatest show in the world, you're going to be lambasted in the press. so you might as well enjoy yourself. so obviously oscar is bringing him in. he's an exceptionally funny guy. "ted." "family guy." but it is a tough gig. he's there to draw in the younger viewers. but the critics always have a field day on post oscar. we wish him well, though. >> i think it's going to be the funniest one yet. >> he's more ricky gervais than billy crystal. so tune in. billy crystal. so tune in. than billy crystal. so tune in. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling

occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs.

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help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands a year in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. ♪ black coffee black coffee ♪ drink some black coffee, wow, black coffee, black coffee ♪ you like black coffee? >> i can drink black coffee, lots of sugar. hipsters usually like to come off like they're too cool to compete in anything. but here's an exception. hipsters, who are baristas. >> the 2013 world brewer's cup championship is in preliminary rounds. and michelle charlesworth from wabc checked it out. >> reporter: they were tamping, frothing, tasting, and pouring in this barista competition.

>> every barista competitor has 15 minutes to make a set of drinks for judges. they have to make four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature beverages. >> reporter: katie is the number one barista in america. lou barba is one of the judges. he was reared on the bean and cannot remember not drinking coffee. >> i've basically been weaned on coffee. >> reporter: was it in your bottle? >> it was my bottle almost, exactly, yeah. >> reporter: what about the rules? lou, this is like a phone book here. these are the rules and regulations. 23 pages. the categories are technical and sensory. and as the attemptive crowd look on, the coffee takes shape. i have to whisper, because we're in the middle of the competition. but i really like this guy. he kind of looks like ryan gosling, from "the notebook," remember that cute movie? what a cutie. he's got this little jug of looks like moonshine. but it's filtered water over on the side. it's part presentation and

education. >> it's a lot of fun. it's a way to learn about another country. it's almost like a geography lesson in itself. >> reporter: up there on the third floor is where the competition is going on. but they're only serving black coffee. that's not how i take it. so i had to sneak over here to get my sugar and milk. yeah, baby. i've got to drink this contraband though before i head back over there. but there's a good reason they keep it black. >> we work really hard to get the highest quality beans. with all these interesting tastes and flavors in them. >> reporter: they love what they do and they pass that love to all of us. cheers. michelle charlesworth, channel 7, eyewitness news. >> sugar. >> a little soul in that story. i think michelle enjoyed that assignment. >> the blend. >> oh, look at this. >> thank you. >> real coffee. i thought they cut this out of the budget last quarter. >> for you, sir. black, the way you like it. >> i like my coffee black, the way i like my men.

>> oh look at that, see. >> that's me, working hard. >> if this tv thing doesn't work out, that's where we'll be. no problem with that. >> find me at starbucks. ♪

making news in america this morning -- our wicked winter continues. another major storm slams our nation's heartland. tens of millions of people in 19 states are now in its path. the latest forecast, coming up. plus, a new twist in the murder case of oscar pistorius. the detective investigating the crime is himself accused of seven counts of attempted murder. the details behind this surprising development. also, a public health investigation after a dead body

is found inside a water tank at a hotel. the water from that tank, the same water that hotel guests drank and even bathed in. and a steamy scene in a washington state coffee shop. and it wasn't from the latte. what police say baristas were serving along with their coffee, that's got them in hot water. good morning, everybody. travel could be dangerous for millions this morning in the center of the country. >> forecasters are expecting a messy mix of snow, rain, freezing rain and sleet, and even the possibility of tornadoes. abc's tahman bradley is joining us this morning from washington, with more on this winter storm. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, diana. good morning, rob. some 30 million people are in the path of this monster. california, colorado and other parts of the west got a mix of rain and snow. much more severe weather is expected today in the nation's heartland. a brutal winter blast that started in california, is

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